Children on a street of Lahore, Pakistan,  June 10, 2020 (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour on Wednesday achieved universal ratification and became the most rapidly ratified Convention in the history of the Organization. ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said the Convention’s ratification means that all children now have legal protection against the worst forms of child labour, such as slavery, sexual exploitation, the use of children in armed conflict or other illicit or hazardous work that compromises children’s health, morals, or psychological wellbeing.

International trade union leaders welcomed the news, calling it a strong and timely reminder of the importance of ILO standards and the need for multilateral solutions to global issues. Ending child labor by 2025 in all its forms is one of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by all UN members in 2015.